With Iceland Vote, EU Dares Dream of Enlargement ‘Success Story’
Voters are weighing whether to restart membership talks as officials cite security concerns and a poll showed 53% support for reopening negotiations.
- Residents of Iceland have until Aug 29 to vote on whether to reopen accession negotiations with the European Union, answering a straightforward ballot question on EU membership talks.
- The country of 400,000 people previously applied to join in 2009 after a financial crisis but shelved its application in 2015; authorities recently returned the issue to the table citing geopolitical context.
- Already closely integrated through the European Economic Area and Schengen, Iceland shows public support for talks; a late July poll by newspaper DV placed the "yes" camp ahead on about 53 per cent.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and other European officials have visited in recent weeks to encourage talks, though Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir insists Reykjavik would require "a good deal" on fishing.
- President Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland have resonated strongly in Iceland, which relies on the United States and NATO for defense; the European Commission stands ready to engage if voters approve.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Iceland Belongs in the Eurozone
In evaluating the trade-offs of joining the European Union and giving up their own currency, Icelanders must recognize that the costs of eurozone membership are smaller than what past data suggest. If anything, being within the eurosystem would make a repeat of Iceland's post-2008 banking crisis exceedingly unlikely.
Since the independence of Denmark, the history of Iceland has been marked by wars. Three of them, with the United Kingdom. It was the cod wars, in...
A candidate for accession to the Arctic Circle? The EU would gain geopolitical weight with Iceland.
Yes or no to the EU. That is the topic in Breddanum today, because on August 29 there will be a referendum in Iceland, where the people will decide whether Iceland should resume negotiations with the EU on membership. Icelanders do not agree, and some of the arguments for and against are similar to those of the Faroese. What is happening in Iceland at the moment, what are the reasons for and against Icelandic membership in the EU, and why is thi…
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- 43% of the sources are Center, 43% of the sources lean Right
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